Enhancement of plasticity of Fe-based bulk metallic glass by Ni substitution for Fe

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) (Fe1-xNix)71Mo5P12C10B2 (x = 0, 0.1 and 0.2) with a diameter of 3 mm were synthesized by copper mold casting. The effect of Ni substitution for Fe on the structure, thermal and mechanical properties has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and compressive testing. It was found that the substitution of Ni for Fe enhances the glass forming ability, and improves the plasticity of Fe71Mo5P12C10B2 BMG as indicated by the increase in the plastic strain from 3.1% (x = 0) to 5.2% (x = 0.2). The improvement of the plasticity is discussed in term of the reduction of glass transition temperature and the supercooled liquid region due to the substitution of Ni for Fe.